Button holder

ABSTRACT

A U-SHAPED HOLDER ADAPTED TO SECURE A BUTTON ON A FABRIC MATERIAL. SHARP POINTS ARE PROVIDED ON THE ENDS OF THE U-SHAPED MEMBER TO ENABLE IT TO PENETRATE THE FABRIC SO THAT THE HOLDER REPLACES THE THREADS WHICH NORMALLY HOLD THE BUTTON ON THE FABRIC. THE POINTED ENDS OF THE HOLDER ARE NOTCHED SO THAT THE POINTS CAN BE   REMOVED ONCE THEY PENETRATE THE CLOTH, AND HOOKS ARE PROVIDED ADJACENT THE ENDS SO THAT THE HOLDER CANNOT BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE FABRIC BY NORMAL USE OF THE BUTTON.

R. HOCKER' BUTTON HOLDER F iled Dec. 2, 1968 March 2, 1971 wvewrofi ROBERT L. HOCKER A T'T OR/VE Y8 United States Patent Office Patented Mar. 2, 1971 3,566,452 BUTTON HOLDER Robert L. Hocker, 1400 Devereux Drive, Dayton, Ohio 45419 Filed Dec. 2, 1968, Ser. No. 780,401 Int. Cl. A44b 1/18 US. Cl. 24-103 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A U-shaped holder adapted to secure a button on a fabric material. Sharp points are provided on the ends of the U-shaped member to enable it to penetrate the fabric so that the holder replaces the threads which normally hold the button on the fabric. The pointed ends of the holder are notched so that the points can be removed once they penetrate the cloth, and hooks are provided adjacent the ends so that the holder cannot be withdrawn from the fabric by normal use of the button.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Bachelors and many other people frequently have need to secure quickly in place a button which has become detached. The customary means for doing this is to use a conventional needle and thread to sew the button back onto the fabric in substantially the same manner as it was held in place originally. This is time consuming and frequently the necessary needle and/or thread are not available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A button holder made of a semi-flexible material adapted to be inserted through the button and the fabric to secure the button in place. The holder has pointed ends which pass through the fabric, and these ends are adapted to be removed and discarded after the button is secured in place. Hook means are provided on the ends of the holder for prohibiting the withdrawal of the holder from the fabric.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a button being held on a garment by the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken centrally through the button and showing the button holder in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the ends of the button holder removed;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the button holder;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is another sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the modified form of the invention is secured to a button; and

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the button holder 10 is shown interconnecting the round button 11 having at least two axially extending openings 12 therein to the cloth fabric 13 which may be of natural or synthetic fibers, or other materials which are capable of being penetrated by a sharp object. Basically, it is felt that the holder 10 can be utilized to secure the button 10 to any fabric or material that a needle and thread has heretofore been used to secure the button in place. 1

The holder 10 is made of plastic or other flexible ma terial and includes the loop or end portion 15 having a circular cross section (FIG. 5) and integral arms 16 extending in a generally parallel manner from the opposite ends of the loop portion 15. These arms are also circular in cross section and extend to integral connections with the pointed end portions 17 which have a generally oval cross section, as shown in FIG. 6, and which have sharply pointed ends 20. In the normal unflexed position, these pointed ends 20 extend parallel to one another for ease in penetrating the fabric.

Formed in the area of the juncture between the arms 16 and the end portions 17 are the rearwardly extending hooks 21 formed integrally with the remainder of the holder 10 and having a rectangular cross section, as shown in FIG. 6. Each of the hooks 21 cooperate with the end portions 17 to provide a tapered side wall 23 extending from the pointed end 20 to the end 24 of the hook 21 on one side thereof, and a smooth surface 25 on the other side thereof extending from the pointed end- 20 to the juncture between the arm 16 and end portion 17. The cross section of the hooks 21 gradually tapers in transition between the oval cross section of the end portion 17 and the oval cross section ('FIG. 6) hook 21.

An indentation 26 is provided centrally in each side of each end portion 17 in the area of its juncture with the hooks 21. These indentations 26 extend a substantial distance into the end portion 17, as shown in FIG. 5, and across the entire width thereof to provide a weakened area where the pointed ends 20 can be removed by bending the same up and down causing the material to weaken and break off, or by cutting the points 20 off at the indentations 26 with a household scissors, a razor blade, or other sharp cutting devices.

In operation of the invention, when it is desired to secure the button 11 to the fabric 13, it is merely necessary to remove one of the holders 10 from a suitable package and force the pointed ends 20 through two of the openings 12 of the button 11, as shown in FIG. 1. The button 11 with the holder 10 in place is then aligned with the desired location on the fabric 13, and then the pointed ends 20 are forced through the fabric 13. Since the tapered sides 23 and 25 are provided, the fabric 13 is separated allowing the entire end portions 17 and hooks 21 to pass through the material at which time the button is substantially permanently secured in position.

When the button 11 is pulled away from the fabric 13, it merely seats the hooks 21 into the fabric 13 and prohibits further withdrawal of the holder 10 therefrom. The ends 20 are then removed from the holder 10 by breaking them off manually or by cutting them oif with a suitable tool. Should it ever be desired to remove the button 11, this can be accomplished by merely cutting the arms 16 of the holder 10 with a suitable tool to cause removal thereof.

A modified embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 8-10 wherein a holder 30 is provided for a button 31 having a loop 32 on the back side thereof, as shown in FIG. 9. This holder also includes a loop portion 33, the arms 34, and hooks 35 on the end portion 36 is substantially the same manner as those described above. However, the arms 34 and end portions 36 are not parallel in the unflexed portion but disposed one above the other, as shown best in FIG. 10. This arrangement permits the arms 34 to be spaced closer together without interference between the hooks 35 on each of the arms 34 so that the loop defined by the arms 34 and the loop portion 33 is small and cannot be seen from the front of the button 31 when it is secured in place on a piece of fabric. The manner in which the button is secured to the fabric is substantially identical to that described above except that the hooks 35 are disposed one above the other when the holder 30 is secured to the fabric, rather than side by side as shown in FIG. 3.

Accordingly, the invention has provided a button holder which can be quickly and easily used to secure a conventional button to a fabric material. No needle and thread or tools whatsoever are provided other than a sharp object to remove the pointed ends 20. Once the button is in place it is substantially impossible to remove and will withstand pulling force on the button itself. Should this pulling force exceed a preset factor, the button holder would tear the fabric rather than break itself. The button holder can be made of any flexible material including plastics, metals, and hard rubbers.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved button holder adapted to secure a button to a fabric material, comprising a substantially rigid U-shaped plastic body including a loop portion and generally parallel spaced arm portions, each said arm portion including a forwardly projecting generally conical tapered end portion having a sharp pointed tip to facilitate extending said arm portions through the material, an elongated integral tapered projection extending rearwardly from each said end portion and cooperating With the adjacent said arm portion to form a -U-shaped hook portion facing said loop portion for piercing the material after the arm portions are extended through the material, and each said projection being spring-like to permit flexing of said projection in response to inserting said end portions through corresponding holes in the bottom.

2. A button holder as defined in claim 1 wherein said projections converge inwardly between said arm portions.

3. A button holder as defined in claim 1 wherein said pointed tip and said hook portions are positioned in overlapping adjacent relation.

4. A button holder as defined in claim 1 including means defining a weakened area for separating each said pointed tip from the corresponding said hook portion after said pointed tips are extended through the material and said hook portions engage the material.

5. A button holder as defined in claim 1 wherein said means defining a weakened area, comprise indentations located between said pointed tips and said hook portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,156,231 10/1915 Holter 24-90 1,982,540 11/1934 Reich 24-103 2,104,885 1/1938 Robbins 24-90 2,219,966 10/ 1940 Smitt 24-103 2,228,043 1/1941 Baggerud 24-90 2,597,051 5/1952 Auer 24-103 3,349,447 10/1967 Raleigh, Jr. 24-90 3,382,546 5/1968 Palmay et a1. 24-90 STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner W. H. SCHROEDER, Assistant Examiner 

